<a href="http://www.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Trunk-R-Treat-SJVC-Ontario-Halloween.jpg"><img src="http://www.sjvc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Trunk-R-Treat-SJVC-Ontario-Halloween-300x250.jpg" alt="Trunk R Treat SJVC Ontario Halloween" width="300" height="250" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-13254" /></a>“All I know is there were 700 hot dogs, and they were all gone!” says Hendry Madrid, Dean of Student Services and this year’s organizer for Trunk-R-Treat. The word on campus during the 3-week run-up to this big event was “Invite everyone!”  They did…and they came.

Twenty car trunks on the <a href="/campuses/southern-california/ontario" title="Click to learn about SJVC's Ontario College.">Ontario campus</a> were flung open and overflowing with treats for the estimated 600 students, families, friends, and general public, while staff and faculty tried to keep the Halloween action in full swing.

Whipping the crowd into a spookified frenzy, Henry, worked the microphone to punch up the Haunted House Maze’s fear-factor, and direct throngs of kids toward ongoing contests, food sites and hot spots for thrills-n-chills. Henry constructed the huge maze “a scary farm kind of thing”, he says, “with scary clowns, body parts hanging down, a fog machine and strobe lights. I went the whole nine!”

There was a mummy contest that gave contestants 2-minutes to do their best toilet paper wrap on a family member.  Throw in a pumpkin decorating challenge, costume contest, bounce house, ring toss, musical chairs, and the fastest paper skeleton re-assemble skill-bender, and you have some fast and furious competition. Prizes were awarded to the victors and all could capture their moments of fun and glory in a free photo booth.

“I wanted to take a leadership role with this project and show people what I could do,” says Henry. “I think I exceeded my goals; it was insane!”

There was also a good turnout of high school seniors who were invited to come and join the fun, while they give SJVC consideration for their future education plans. “We wanted to show them the campus life we have here for our students and that it’s not just an in-and-out kind of experience,” says Henry. “We have clubs and fun things that go on in those 14-months.”

This year’s Trunk-R-Treat was wildly successful; so much so that the bar has definitely been raised a few notches for Halloween 2015. “Everybody wants me to do it ten times bigger next year,” says Henry. “I got an e-mail from our Campus Director asking me to start planning our next couple of parties. Apparently, I’m the official Event Planner,” Henry glows.